TSR Discussion App

Designing the new discussion app for The Student Room.

Role

Lead Designer

Industry

Education & Online Community

Year

2017

Reflections
This project was one of the early ones in my career and was primarily focused on UI design. At the time, I didn’t have the resources or opportunity to conduct much user research, so the design was driven by project requirements and the visual direction. While it worked well at the time, my approach to design has evolved a lot since then. I’ve gained a deeper understanding of user research, accessibility, and iterative design, and now I integrate user feedback and usability testing much earlier in the process. Back then, designs were mostly static, but now I focus on creating interactive prototypes that better showcase the user experience. If I were to approach a similar challenge today, I’d prioritise user insights and ensure the design is even more closely aligned with the end user’s needs. This project helped build the foundation for my current process, but it’s definitely evolved since then.

Overview

The Student Room’s mobile app, previously hosted on the Tapatalk platform, had become outdated and no longer supported development. To address this, I collaborated with an external agency that provided initial wireframes and low-resolution designs for several key areas of the app. My role was to take these wireframes and transform them into high-fidelity designs, while also creating additional screens for missing functionality and pages.

Overview

Objectives

Redesigning a forum-based app presented several challenges. It needed to be visually engaging, functional, and distinct from both the previous version and other competing forum apps. A key objective was to enhance the user experience by creating a unique and dynamic interface that resonated with users, especially those who were familiar with the website.

Design choices

To ensure a consistent and appealing visual experience, I relied on The Student Room's primary brand colour, blue, using various shades and gradients throughout the app. I also focused on enhancing the interaction design with smooth transitions and animated icons, making navigation feel intuitive and engaging. These animations helped add fluidity and delight to the user experience, setting the app apart from its competitors and previous iterations.

Take a look at some of the final designs below.